Chinese characters are one of the important basic elements produced in Chinese culture. Calligraphy is an ancient art in my country. Chinese characters change from graphics to strokes, from pictograms to symbols, from form and meaning to pictograms, and from complexity to simplicity. After thousands of years of evolution, the evolution of Chinese characters has gone through stages such as oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, large seal script, small seal script, official script, regular script, running script, and cursive script. Various calligraphy features exude the unique artistic charm of Chinese culture.
01
Oracle bone inscriptions
Oracle bone inscriptions can be said to be the "ancestors" of Chinese characters. The earliest writing was inscribed on tortoise shells and ox shoulder blades in the Shang Dynasty, so it was called "Oracle Bone Inscriptions".
Most of the contents reflected are divination records. The divination content involves all aspects of Shang society, such as politics, sacrifice, economy, military, climate, bad luck, customs and many other aspects. Our country has written records. The history of China began with the existence of oracle bone inscriptions, so oracle bone inscriptions are important materials for studying ancient history. About 140,000 pieces of oracle bone inscriptions have been unearthed, with a total of about 4,500 words. The layout method of oracle bone calligraphy is from bottom to bottom and from right to left. The oracle bone inscriptions are carved with a knife, and the font is strong and powerful, with a strong three-dimensional effect. The lines are neat and thin, with even curves and thickness. Oracle bone inscriptions already possess the basic elements of Chinese calligraphy such as the use of pens, knots, and composition. Although the fonts vary in size, they are relatively balanced and symmetrical.
02
Jinwen
Jinwen inherited the development of Oracle and was influenced by Oracle. Bronze inscriptions, also called bell-ding inscriptions, are mainly inscriptions engraved on bronze vessels.
The Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties were the age of bronze ware, and the technology of copper smelting and bronze ware manufacturing was very developed. The ritual vessel is represented by the "ding" and the musical instrument is represented by the "bell". Because copper was also called gold in ancient times, the inscriptions on bells and tripods were called "gold inscriptions." The main content recorded in bronze inscriptions is the life of the royal family, mainly recording sacrificial rituals, orders, conquests, hunting, contracts, etc. There are about 3,005 characters of bronze inscriptions discovered so far. The characteristics of bronze inscriptions are that the fonts are long and thin, the density is uniform, the structure is rigorous, the strokes are mostly straight, the strokes are sharp at the beginning and the end, and the straight and hanging needle technique is often used. The most famous bronze inscription is the Mao Gong Ding cast during the reign of King Xuan of Zhou Dynasty. In addition, there are Sanshi Pan, Jizi Baipan, Xusizi Ding, etc.
03
大篆
Da Zhuan refers to the writing before the Small Seal, and generally refers to the ancient and various countries’ writing before the Qin Dynasty, including bronze inscriptions and Zhou inscriptions. Stone drum inscriptions and ancient inscriptions from the Six Kingdoms. The inscriptions left on metal vessels, musical instruments, weapons and various bells and tripods, the inscriptions with complex and overlapping strokes, and the "stone drum inscriptions" carved on ten stone drums by the Qin Dynasty are all classic works of seal script. In particular, the Stone Drum Inscriptions are the earliest stone-engraved characters that have been handed down to this day and are the ancestors of stone carvings. The structure of Dazhuan is relatively regular and diverse. The brushwork lines become even and soft, with even thickness, mostly straight lines, but also square and round pens. The main technique is hanging needle.
04
Xiao Zhuan
Xiao Zhuan, also known as Qin Zhuan, was a script used from the time when Qin Shihuang unified China in 221 BC to the early Western Han Dynasty. After the Qin Dynasty unified the six countries, it implemented the policy of "writing with the same text and carriages with the same track" and unifying weights and measures, and ordered the prime ministers Li Si and Zhao Gao to create a unified official text for the country.
The Qin State simplified the originally used seal script, abolished the variant characters of the other six countries, and standardized the writing form of Chinese characters. It was popular until the Western Han Dynasty and was gradually replaced by official script. However, because of its beautiful handwriting, it has always been favored by calligraphers. The small seal characters are relatively long in shape, with smooth and concise strokes, emphasizing symmetry. The body structure is regular and coordinated, the strokes are round and neat, and the lines become graceful, which has a more universal aesthetic value. Small seal script also includes Miao seal script and Han seal script. Miao seal is the text on the seal of the Han Dynasty, and Han seal is the inscription on the Han Dynasty stele. Xiaozhuan is of epoch-making significance in the history of Chinese calligraphy and Chinese characters. Many celebrities and poets have left masterpieces. For example, Li Si's works "Kaiji Stone Carvings", "Cangjie Pian", "Langyatai Stone Carvings", "Taishan Carving Stones", Zhao Gao's "Yanli Pian", Hu Wu's "Erudition Pian" and so on.
05
Official script
Official script is the watershed between ancient and modern writing. Because the glyphs of official script are very similar to regular script, before official script it was an ancient script, and after official script it was a modern script.
Because seal script is more complicated to write, the prison officials at that time invented the simpler official script. Official script was initially popular among the people, and later was officially recognized and became the official script. It reached its peak during the Eastern Han Dynasty and was known as "Han Li Tang Kai" in calligraphy circles. In terms of the glyph structure of official script, the writing effect is slightly wider and flat, the strokes develop horizontally, the horizontal strokes are long and the vertical strokes are short, and the "silkworm head and swallow tail" are emphasized. "Twists and turns" is also a representative stroke of official script. The seal script changes the circular strokes into square folds, so there is a saying of "the seal script is round and square". Representative works of the official script treasures of the art of calligraphy include "Cao Quan Stele", "Zhang Qian Stele", "Yi Ying Stele", "Ode to Fenglong Mountain", "Hengfang Stele", etc.
06
Regular script
Regular script gradually evolved from official script. It was formed in the late Han Dynasty and flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The earliest regular script was created by Wang Cizhong and matured after the transformation by Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi. Regular script is more simplified, with a well-proportioned structure and a square shape. The "twisting and twisting" of official script is changed to "straight". It is a modern handwritten traditional Chinese character. The font is serious and dignified, the strokes are steady and dignified, the structure is rigorous, and the strokes are neat. The Four Masters of Regular Script are the collective name for the four calligraphers who are famous for their regular script in the history of calligraphy. They respectively refer to: Ouyang Xun of the Tang Dynasty (Ou Ti), Yan Zhenqing of the Tang Dynasty (Yan Ti), Liu Gongquan of the Tang Dynasty (Liu Ti), and Zhao Meng of the Yuan Dynasty (Zhao Ti). The classic representative works in regular script that have been famous for centuries include "Duobao Pagoda Stele", "Jiucheng Palace Liquan Inscription", "Yan Qinli Stele", "Xuanmi Pagoda Stele" and "Shence Army Stele", etc. Zhong Yao promoted the development of regular script, especially small regular script, and had a profound influence on later generations of calligraphy. Later generations respected him as the "originator of regular script" and was called "King Zhong" together with the calligraphy sage Wang Xizhi. Zhong Yao's representative work in regular script is "Declaration Table".
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